Adjacent Words

Multiplication definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

MULTIPLICA'TION, n. [L. multiplicatio.]
1. The act of multiplying or of increasing number; as the multiplication of the human species by natural generation.
2. In arithmetic, a rule or operation by which any given number may be increased according to any number of times proposed. Thus 10 multiplied by 5 is increased to 50.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: the act of producing offspring or multiplying by such production [syn: generation, multiplication, propagation]
2: a multiplicative increase; "repeated copying leads to a multiplication of errors"; "this multiplication of cells is a natural correlate of growth"
3: an arithmetic operation that is the inverse of division; the product of two numbers is computed; "the multiplication of four by three gives twelve"; "four times three equals twelve" [syn: multiplication, times]

Merriam Webster's

noun Etymology: Middle English multiplicacioun, from Anglo-French multiplicacion, from Latin multiplication-, multiplicatio, from multiplicare to multiply Date: 14th century 1. the act or process of multiplying ; the state of being multiplied 2. a. a mathematical operation that at its simplest is an abbreviated process of adding an integer to itself a specified number of times and that is extended to other numbers in accordance with laws that are valid for integers b. any of various mathematical operations that are analogous in some way to multiplication of the real numbers but are defined for other or larger sets of elements (as complex numbers, vectors, matrices, or functions)

Oxford Reference Dictionary

n. 1 the arithmetical process of multiplying. 2 the act or an instance of multiplying. Phrases and idioms: multiplication sign the sign (x) to indicate that one quantity is to be multiplied by another, as in 2 x 3 = 6. multiplication table a list of multiples of a particular number, usu. from 1 to 12. Derivatives: multiplicative adj. Etymology: ME f. OF multiplication or L multiplicatio (as MULTIPLY)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Multiplication Mul`ti*pli*ca"tion, n. [L. multiplicatio: cf. F. multiplication. See Multiply.] 1. The act or process of multiplying, or of increasing in number; the state of being multiplied; as, the multiplication of the human species by natural generation. The increase and multiplication of the world. --Thackeray. 2. (Math.) The process of repeating, or adding to itself, any given number or quantity a certain number of times; commonly, the process of ascertaining by a briefer computation the result of such repeated additions; also, the rule by which the operation is performed; -- the reverse of division. Note: The word multiplication is sometimes used in mathematics, particularly in multiple algebra, to denote any distributive operation expressed by one symbol upon any quantity or any thing expressed by another symbol. Corresponding extensions of meaning are given to the words multiply, multiplier, multiplicand, and product. Thus, since [phi](x + y) = [phi]x + [phi]y (see under Distributive), where [phi](x + y), [phi]x, and [phi]y indicate the results of any distributive operation represented by the symbol [phi] upon x + y, x, and y, severally, then because of many very useful analogies [phi](x + y) is called the product of [phi] and x + y, and the operation indicated by [phi] is called multiplication. Cf. Facient, n., 2. 3. (Bot.) An increase above the normal number of parts, especially of petals; augmentation. 4. The art of increasing gold or silver by magic, -- attributed formerly to the alchemists. [Obs.] --Chaucer. Multiplication table, a table giving the product of a set of numbers multiplied in some regular way; commonly, a table giving the products of the first ten or twelve numbers multiplied successively by 1, 2, 3, etc., up to 10 or 12.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Compound Com"pound, a. [OE. compouned, p. p. of compounen. See Compound, v. t.] Composed of two or more elements, ingredients, parts; produced by the union of several ingredients, parts, or things; composite; as, a compound word. Compound substances are made up of two or more simple substances. --I. Watts. Compound addition, subtraction, multiplication, division (Arith.), the addition, subtraction, etc., of compound numbers. Compound crystal (Crystallog.), a twin crystal, or one seeming to be made up of two or more crystals combined according to regular laws of composition. Compound engine (Mech.), a form of steam engine in which the steam that has been used in a high-pressure cylinder is made to do further service in a larger low-pressure cylinder, sometimes in several larger cylinders, successively. Compound ether. (Chem.) See under Ether. Compound flower (Bot.), a flower head resembling a single flower, but really composed of several florets inclosed in a common calyxlike involucre, as the sunflower or dandelion. Compound fraction. (Math.) See Fraction. Compound fracture. See Fracture. Compound householder, a householder who compounds or arranges with his landlord that his rates shall be included in his rents. [Eng.] Compound interest. See Interest. Compound larceny. (Law) See Larceny. Compound leaf (Bot.), a leaf having two or more separate blades or leaflets on a common leafstalk. Compound microscope. See Microscope. Compound motion. See Motion. Compound number (Math.), one constructed according to a varying scale of denomination; as, 3 cwt., 1 qr., 5 lb.; -- called also denominate number. Compound pier (Arch.), a clustered column. Compound quantity (Alg.), a quantity composed of two or more simple quantities or terms, connected by the sign + (plus) or - (minus). Thus, a + b - c, and bb - b, are compound quantities. Compound radical. (Chem.) See Radical. Compound ratio (Math.), the product of two or more ratios; thus ab:cd is a ratio compounded of the simple ratios a:c and b:d. Compound rest (Mech.), the tool carriage of an engine lathe. Compound screw (Mech.), a screw having on the same axis two or more screws with different pitch (a differential screw), or running in different directions (a right and left screw). Compound time (Mus.), that in which two or more simple measures are combined in one; as, 6-8 time is the joining of two measures of 3-8 time. Compound word, a word composed of two or more words; specifically, two or more words joined together by a hyphen.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

1. Multiplication is the process of calculating the total of one number multiplied by another. There will be simple tests in addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. 2. The multiplication of things of a particular kind is the process or fact of them increasing in number or amount. Increasing gravity is known to speed up the multiplication of cells. N-UNCOUNT: usu N of n

Moby Thesaurus

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